Australasian Gannet II

Muriwai Beach in the North of Auckland, New Zealand, is home to a colony of Australasian Gannets (Morus serrator). Watching the birds was a wonderful experience, as you can get very close to the colony and watch their complex social behaviour. It’s also a great opportunity for photos of course, but shooting birds in flight with a focal length of 400mm (in film terms) is quite challenging! In this picture one of the birds makes his first fast fly-by before he slows down to land in the second approach.

Tags: Animals, Bird, Nature, New Zealand, today's photo